Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members, for this opportunity to speak about the testing and screening expert advisory panel's fourth report, “Priority strategies to optimize testing and quarantine at Canada's borders”, which was published on May 27.
As vaccination increases and as we see the number of cases in the third wave subsiding, it appears many regions are now stabilizing. It's an opportune time to start to consider the appropriate balance of measures to protect public health while also reopening our borders. Supporting economic recovery depends on enabling the movement of people and goods across the border, while at the same time being vigilant in protecting the health and safety of Canadians and limiting the risk of importing variants and viruses.
Managing borders is complex. Measures must be easy to understand, equitable, feasible and consider both the benefits and the risks of harm. The panel took all these matters into consideration in preparing the recommendations that I'm going to summarize for you today.
The panel reviewed the various scientific evidence and presented to the Minister of Health recommendations for border measures relative to five different groups of travellers: unvaccinated, vaccinated, partially vaccinated, previously infected and exempt travellers.
For unvaccinated travellers, we recommend a testing approach similar to what is currently in place, including a predeparture test—either a PCR test within 72 hours of departure or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure—an on-arrival test and quarantine. In respect of the quarantine periods, the panel found sufficient evidence to conclude that a negative test seven days after a traveller has arrived in Canada provides the same level of protection as a negative test on day 10.
Given the high efficacy of the vaccines authorized by Health Canada, the panel recommended that fully vaccinated travellers need only to complete an arrival test for surveillance purposes but no quarantine requirements, with a proof of vaccination. This approach also provides an incentive to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated.
For the partially vaccinated traveller, the panel found emerging evidence that a single dose of vaccine provides effective protection against severe disease, but it does not guarantee against infection. Therefore, we recommend that the measures for this population include a predeparture test, an on-arrival test and quarantine until a negative test result arrives after departure.
For a previously infected traveller, the panel recommends an on-arrival test and quarantine until a negative test result after arrival is confirmed.
For exempt travellers, based on the data the panel reviewed, we recommend voluntary testing at both land and air borders, primarily for surveillance purposes.
The panel also made a number of additional recommendations to improve the simplicity and adherence to border measures, including aligning travellers who are arriving by air and land borders so that they are consistent, and discontinuing the requirement for non-exempt travellers to stay in a government-authorized accommodation while awaiting their on-arrival test result.
Similarly, the panel concluded that testing requirements that vary by country of origin should not generally be implemented for travellers entering Canada except under unique circumstances, because once a variant is detected, it is likely already present in many countries, including Canada.
The panel also noted the critical importance of quarantine adherence and recommends increased monitoring of quarantine and adherence to requirements for testing, as well as the prompt reporting of a positive test result to local public health authorities where individuals reside to allow an immediate follow-up from that local health authority.
In conclusion, I noted carefully the announcement recently that the government will be easing travel measures in a phased approach, including by reducing potentially the testing and quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers. Taking a phased approach to implementation aligns with the panel's view that changes to border measures need to be incremental. They need to be carefully evaluated in the context of increasing experience and data, the global situation regarding variants of concern and new evidence that might emerge as vaccination continues to increase.
Thank you for your interest in this work. I'd be pleased to take any questions from the committee.